Play Time - A Travelling Cot Quilt

This cot quilt began in the Australian Capital of Canberra as single, log cabin style block in fresh whites, oranges and turquoise.

Then off it travelled to my Mum, Norma in the Blue Mountains (New South Wales) where she added another block with some pink highlights. Mum and I had agreed to make a travelling quilt; something we could play with. The quilt top travelled back and forth between us like this for several months, growing bigger and more involved and it was always exciting to receive the parcel in the mail and see what Mum had added.

It has been a true collaboration and i reckon it's turned out so well. 

Given the varying styles of blocks and different sizes, i found it difficult deciding how to quilt it. I wanted it to be special, so decided to try and quilt each section with something to suit it. In some places, like around the triangles, i've stuck with quilting in the ditch.

My favourite section to quilt was the wonderful Kathy Doughty (Material Obsession) Sunburst Star (p116. of Making Quilts...the promise of joy) and given its size, has ended up being a real feature of the quilt. I also like how the petals have tuned out inside the improv drunkards path.

The wool/polyester batting gives the quilt a really great loft and makes the quilting stand out well.

We recently spent a winter weekend down the coast and i enjoyed taking some photo's of this quilt before washing it ready to send off to it's new owner. It was test driven by The Hurricane and given full approval for warmth and drying capacity!

This quilt has been posted and travelled all the way to Rainbow Beach in Queensland, where it is now keeping its new owner Olivia (3months), warm on these winter nights. Sleep sweet Olivia. We hope you will have fun playing with your quilt, feeling all the textures, looking at the fresh colours and snuggling underneath it.

Quilty Specs:
Size:               Approx. 34" x 50"
Quilt top:       Various 100% cotton, made by Jen and Norma
Batting:          Wool/polyester
Backing:        Various 100% cotton
Quilted by:     Jen using a pale blue 50wt Aurifil thread.

Thanks for stopping by,
Jen

Linking up with;
- Lorna for Lets Bee Social and
- Amanda Jean for Finish it Up Friday

Chita Cushion Cover

While we were visiting family in Portugal last year, i picked up this great 'Chita de Alcobaca' fabric (read more about Chita here). I loved the unusual designs and the colours remind me of our visits to Portugal and the typical colours that make up the many decorative tiles, know as Azulejos.

While our Portuguese family are currently visiting us here in Canberra, i decided to whip up a couple of little cushion covers using the Chita. I made some piping using the Chita and some cord and added a covered zipper into the backing fabrics.

The making of the pillow was very simple, but i hate sewing in the piping around the corners of the cushion (they never end up super neat for me!).

For backing fabric on the first, i used a Chita (above), but for the other i used a fabric in the delicious blues of; 'Grand Bazaar by Patty Young for Michael Miller' (below).

One cushion is destined for our couch, but the other i've given to my Aunt Sue, whose birthday it was this week.

Happy Birthday Sue!

Secret Southwest Garden

I used to live in southwest Western Australia and i miss the people, the forests, the flowers and the amazing diversity of wildlife. Where tall karri trees reach far into the sky and people travel from far and wide to see the wildflowers in bloom each spring.

The Hurricane and i recently visited our good friends Adrian and Julia who still live in Smithbrook, not far from Manjimup in the southwest. The forests were crackling, cicadas so loud, average daily maximum temperatures above 35degC and the depths of a long dry summer were not nearly close to ending. 

A highlight of our visit was the most amazing summer storm. The smell of rain falling on the dry summer earth is one of my favourite smells. The storm was electrical and the thunder boomed on and off for hours. Despite receiving rain, the large number of lightning strikes started a plethora of fires in the dry forests and are still creating havoc and keeping locals and firefighters on their toes.

Adrian and Julia's property in Smithbrook is like an oasis this time of year with peaches, plums, avocado, lemons, grapefruit and potatoes all in season in abundance. Their house and the old school house on their property have a huge amount of character and i especially love the surrounding karri forests and the beautiful blue splendid fairy wrens that come visit each day.

My wonderful Mum, made Adrian and Julia the most beautiful quilt.

Mum said....'I've been collecting these beautiful and bright batik fat quarters at our annual quilt show in Sydney and when I saw the pattern "Secret Garden" by Wendy Whellum, in my AP&Q magazine, I knew I would have fun placing all my materials together.' 

'It's a cheerful quilt, made to brighten up any room and I hope it gets lots of use in their lovely home in southwest Australia'

So, Adrian and Julia, thank you so much for sharing your summer with us. We hope the fires will settle down and give you a break and that you'll soon be able to snuggle under and rest underneath your quilt.


Linking up with:
- Amanda Jean for Finish it Up Friday and
- Lorna for Lets Bee Social

Peta's Framed Mini-Quilt

Our good friend Peta recently turned 70 years old. Peta is a wonderful, joyful character and enjoys creating her own wonderful art-quilts and handmade treasures.....including the most delicious sweets (so good, i've often requested recipes for!).

As a little gift, i made her this framed, mini-quilt using some of my very favourite fabrics (including some Kaffe Fassett and my favourite blues and greens of course!). You might recognise some of them from what i reckon is my all-time favourite quilt, Dreaming of Jacarandas.

I used a gold thread to quilt 1/4 inch from the seams and i love the way the it shines in the sunlight.

Happy 70th birthday Peta! Here's to a great year ahead and plenty more birthdays for us to celebrate together.

Linking up with:
- Amanda Jean for Finish it Up Friday and
- Lorna for Lets Bee Social

Christmas giving

It's so nice to give handmade prezzies at Christmas. There's something special about spending time picking out fabric and spending time making someone's gift.

Last year I found this great, old pattern for a kids art smock (more about that here). It is a quick and simple pattern (Simplicity (4286) for ages 3-8) so I decided to make all the children in our family and our friends one as Christmas presents. Needless to say, I spent most of late November and December busily cutting out and sewing these together.

I know handmade gifts, of all sorts, are often undervalued. Sometimes the recipient has no idea about the price of materials and the time it takes to make something. I don't mind though. I reckon it's probably these recipients that have had very few handmade gifts and as the giver, it's pretty cool to be able to spend the time and money to give them something I reckon is pretty special. Plus.....of course....It's super fun making things too!

I have a little boy who is nearly 2 1/2, and as his Mum, I hope to teach him many things that I think are important. Creating unique, handmade gifts for others will always be something I'll encourage. At the moment he'd rather run as fast as he can, climb as high as he can and play with his trains and water toys, rather than to make paintings, cook yummy food, grow vegetables or draw with his pencils. But, I do look forward to the years ahead and the fun things we will make together and seeing what he manages to come up with all on his own.

Here's to homemade, handmade and homegrown creations!

Jen

Linking up with Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts for Lets Be Social #55

Welcome delight (Michael Miller Challenge)

This last week I've focused on finishing off a cot quilt using the Michael Miller challenge fabrics. This quilt will be a gift for my good friend Sam, who is expecting her first child this summer. Sam and I spent some years studying together while we were at University on the NSW North Coast. Sam and I were often lured away from studies by a call to surf and swim on the beautiful beaches around Ballina and Byron. Aaaah..... those were the days!

I hoped to make a pretty and fun quilt to welcome Sam's new baby to the world and I like the fresh and clean look of finished quilt.

I made simple circles using drunkards path curve templates and have pieced them together with some Kona white fabric. There wasn't a lot of fabric to play with for the Michael Miller challenge but together with some green and turquoise solids, I've used every single inch (well close to it!) to make the circles and binding.

For the quilting, i drew on some outward spirals from the centre of each circle at 1/2 inch intervals (well, i drew them by eye, so as close to 1/2 inch as i could tell!) using a water erasable pen and connected them up to the neighbouring circle. This took a bit of planning so that i'd only have the one continuous quilting line and i could end off under the binding for a super secure finish. There were a few places between spirals that needed separate quilting, and in these cases i tied knots and buried the threads so it would look tidy. I was tempted to use a variety of thread colours but ended up using a blue/grey Aurifil thread to quilt all.

For the binding i used the remaining Michael Miller fabrics and have backed the quilt using a lovely Monaluna organic fabric. This is the first time i've completed a quilt where i hadn't pre-washed my fabrics, and i do like the crinkled finish that it gives after washing it. I'm not sure i'd like such a crinkly look on all quilts, but i do like it here!

So Sammy, i do hope this will keep your precious little baby cosy and that you'll thrive and enjoy all the adventures you have ahead of you as you welcome your delight to the world.

Linking up with:
- Amanda Jean for Finish it Up Friday
- Gemma for I Quilt Thursday at Pretty Bobbins and
- Lorna for Lets Bee Social

Butterflies and Bees Cot Quilt

My Mum has sewn so many things for our family. As a little girl, i can remember Mum making me some terrific dress up outfits and clothes for my teddy. Although she mostly made necessities; things like our clothes and their repairs and hand-me-down modifications from my brother and sisters clothes and school uniforms.

When i learnt to do my first patchwork pillow as a Brownie (young girl guide or scout), she encouraged me and loaned me the sewing gear i needed (i think she may have also helped me finish it when my enthusiasm wained!).

Recently, when my little boy (aka the hurricane) was due to be born, she made him this terrific Butterflies and Bees Cot quilt. We love it terribly and as i write, the hurricane is fast asleep underneath it. He loves pointing out the butterflies and bees that Mum has appliqued onto it but i love the blue and green colours (of course!) and the xanthorhoea grass tree spikes that remind me of our home in the Blue Mountains, Australia.

So this post goes out to my Mum.... cheers for making such a fun and gorgeous cot quilt for our boy Mum! We love you very, very much!

You can check out more of Mum's quilts on Mums Gallery page.

Linking up with AmandaJean for Finish it up Friday

In the making or the giving?

While i do have several quilts that i've purposely made just for me, most of them have been intended as gifts. The fabrics and design have been especially selected for the person or occasion. Looking back, and looking ahead, i wonder if it is the making of the quilted gift or the giving of the gift itself that is the best part of the quilting process. For most of the quilt gifts i've made, it has been extra special to be able to bless someone with something so personal and something handmade. In an era when it's so easy to purchase something off the shelf and there are occasions which encourage super consumerism (i'm thinking here especially of Christmas in Australia!), i reckon there's nothing better than a handmade gift.

I do know that some of the people i've given quilts to, probably don't know how much effort and expense went into making them, but i reckon that's okay too, because i have enjoyed so much making them and knowing they are going to someone special. I can remember giving one of my good bloke friends, who had just had a little baby girl, a cot quilt i'd just made fo her and he said 'thanks heaps for the blanket'........hehehe, it made me laugh....classic!

I recently have had the privilege of giving some quilted gifts to my family here in Portugal and it has been very special. Rosa Maria and Ze Carlos like their Dreaming of Jacarandas quilt very much and have decided to use it on their bed in their house in the north of Portugal.

Dreaming of Jacarandas, here on the granite pillars that are common here in the Minho region in northern Portugal, mostly used to support grape vines.

Ze Carlos and Rosa Maria with their Dreaming of Jacarandas quilt

To my aunts i have given some quilted placemats (placemats here and here also) that i made especially for them and it was so nice to give them something i made, like a little piece of me.

Giving quilt placemats to our Aunt Silvia (R) and Milu (L)

But, i'm still not sure. Which is it for you...the making or the giving that is the best reward?

Linking up with Lorna for Lets Bee Social